I've always been somewhat anxious my whole life but since January of this year everything has been 10X worse. I went from being able to function to being stuck at home 24/7. It all started when I fainted at the dentist in late January. Ever since then i've been a wreck. I feel dizzy constantly and live in constant fear of passing out again. A few days after the spell I went to the ER and they found nothing wrong with my EKG, Blood Work, Urine, etc. Said I had mild dehydration and anxiety. They shot me up with fluids and ativan and then sent me home. I saw about 5 more doctors. All did the same tests and all came up with one recurring diagnosis anxiety. Doctors are convinced that nothing is wrong with my heart or anything else. None of them even considered referring me to a specialist They keep saying it's in my head.

Now here is my current problem. I had HORRIBLE anxiety, dizziness, and other symptoms when I started Zoloft a few months back. I actually called 911 TWICE because I thought I was dying or was going to pass out again. This is all despite being on Xanax. Again they'd give me Ativan and i'd feel a lot better. After a month or two on the Zoloft things eventually got better. The severe anxiety was gone. I still felt horrible but I was starting to get out of my room a bit more.

Anyway about a week ago my psychiatrist switched me from Zoloft 100MG to Effexor XR 75MG because I didn't think the Zoloft was doing enough. I waited a few days and took the Zoloft at 50MG before starting the Effexor like my doc told me to. About 5 days into the Effexor and off of the Zoloft I feel the same kind of anxiety creeping up on me again.

Yesterday it was waking up with a racing/pounding heart beat that wouldn't stop. I took two of my .5 Xanax and it quickly went away and did not come back. Not a huge deal. Today it's waking up 5 times and sleeping for 20 hours. First time I woke up I was covered in sweat for no reason. Second time I woke up I was almost completely paralyzed. My whole body was numb. Especially my limbs. Possibly sleep paralysis? The other three times I woke up were unremarkable. I just felt exhausted and kept going back to sleep. Now that i'm up I feel groggy beyond belief (perhaps from oversleeping.) I'm dizzy and my limbs feel numb.

Could all of this be from switching meds? I don't know if i'm having withdrawal from stopping the Zoloft or if it's from starting the Effexor. Or maybe both. I know that dizziness, anxiety, and insomnia are somewhat common when starting/stopping anti-depressants. The numbess is what freaks me out. I refuse to believe it's just a coincidence considering this all started a couple of days after the switch. I don't know if I should discontinue the Effexor and go back on the Zoloft or what. I'm not sure if I can tolerate this again.